


Everything That's Dark and Bright

by DreadNaught13



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-09 06:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3240332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreadNaught13/pseuds/DreadNaught13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of Blood of Olympus, Nico has to spend three days in the infirmary. With Will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Nico strolled up to Will Solace, feeling eyes on his retreating back. He forced himself not to look behind him, ignoring the flush of heat prickling the back of his neck. He could feel Percy looking at him as he walked away and it made him uncomfortable. He still didn’t like being stared at, even if he’d just given Percy cause to gawp after him like the idiot he was. He could hear Annabeth’s delighted laughter, so he could only imagine the look on Percy’s face—he was probably doing a helluva good imitation of a landed carp.

“Okay,” he told Solace as he came up even with him. “I’m ready.”

“I get you for three days,” Will reminded him, the tips of his ears turning red. “I mean, you’re staying in the infirmary for three days. No backing out.”

Nico glanced at the son of Apollo curiously. Had he actually flushed? The son of Hades tamped down on the flutters in his gut—he had not just gotten over one unrequited crush to fall headlong into another. He was not going to get caught reading too much into anything Solace did or said.

“I gave my word, Solace,” he growled. “I’ll keep it. My father can’t stand oathbreakers.” He flinched a little, remembering how he’d dealt with Bryce Lawrence in South Carolina. He knew he’d scared Reyna. Hades, he’d scared himself.

Solace raised an eyebrow. “You okay, di Angelo?”

Nico shook off his dark thoughts. “Yes.” He straightened. “Well? Lead on, Sparkle Boy.”

“I’m not a vampire,” Will shot back with a laugh.

“Huh?” Nico had no idea what vampires had to do with sunlight or sparkling.

“Oh right,” Will said, dropping an arm companionably across Nico’s narrow shoulders. Nico stiffened, but didn’t immediately shrug him off. He needed to get used to touch, even if he didn’t like it all that much. From Solace though, it wasn’t so bad.

“I forget, you’re still catching up. Good thing I’ve got three days to bring you up to speed.” And he led the shorter boy to the Big House and the infirmary.

***

“Okay, let’s get a look at you.”

“WHAT?!” Nico whirled around from staring at the bed and four walls that encompassed his home for the next three days to stare at Solace with huge eyes.

Will glared at him, doing his best impression of a schoolmarm. “Three days, di Angelo. I’m a healer. I need to see what I’m working with.”

Nico was pretty certain his eyes were round with shock. When he’d agreed to stay in the infirmary, he had just figured he’d be taking up bed space. He hadn’t expected a medical work up. “No way. I’m fine.”

“Seriously?” Will’s face hardened, bright blue eyes snapping in irritation. “You nearly disappeared into shadow, you hauled a massive statue half-way around the globe, you spent days starving in a stupid jar, and you just fought a battle and handled the funeral services of dozens of campers. Sit down and take. You. Shirt. Off. NOW!”

Nico sat down on the bed, more because his knees gave out on him than from any conscious effort on his part. He was stunned. He didn’t know that Solace had this kind of fire inside of him—he’d never seen it in his training or in battle (not that Nico ever had much chance since he never stayed at camp very long). In fact, the last time he’d seen Will mad was on the battlefield when he was yelling at…Nico.

Oh.

Solace tapped his foot impatiently against the hardwood floor, the cadence of it forming the perfect nonverbal, _I’m waiting_ , tempo. He arched an eyebrow meaningfully, still glaring down at Nico.

With a sigh, Nico lifted the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head and off. He dropped it to the lemony yellow bedspread, the black fabric pooling against it like shadow against sunlight. The son of Hades wished it was shadow so he could sink into it before he became any more embarrassed. He felt the flush creep up his chest and throat until his face felt like it was a three-alarm fire. He wrapped his arms around his waist and huddled into himself, shivering a little from the cool air on his skin.

Solace leaned forward, gaze seeming to catalogue all of Nico’s bruises, scars, and injuries all at once. His blue eyes narrowed, golden brown brows drawing down as he looked closer at the deep claw marks on Nico’s arm from his fight with Lycaon. They still hadn’t healed. “What are these?” Solace asked, gloving up so he could get a better look at them. He took Nico’s arm gently, raising it up so he could see the long, deep gouges better.

Nico froze as soon as Will touched him, doing his best to keep his body still. His breath sawed in and out of his lungs, shallow and rapid and shaky. “The first werewolf,” he told the son of Apollo, words gritted out through clenched teeth as the healer began to press on the gashes.

“Lycaon?” Solace’s head come up, concern etched in wrinkles between his brows.

Nico nodded, keeping his eyes on the floorboards between his sneakers. That is, until Will did something to those half-healed wounds that made the son of Hades stiffen like he’d just been hit with a cattle prod. Will spoke, gaze still on Nico’s arm. He pressed his gloved fingers against it and made the other boy hiss like a cat. “Sorry.” His voice dropped, sounding genuinely concerned. “You’ve had nectar and that unicorn stuff from Camp Jupiter and these are still only half-healed. At best.”

Not looking at the son of Apollo, Nico did his best to shrug, which was difficult considering Will still had hold of his arm. “Didn’t really have the time to wait for it to heal up,” he told the healer, tone drily mocking. “Was kind of busy trying not to die.”

Will glanced at him, blue eyes huge. He’d gone pale beneath his ever-present tan. Nico stared at him, brows winging up in confusion. What had made him react like that? “Solace? You okay?”

He swallowed audibly, still shaken. “Yeah, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to make it sound like it was your fault.”

Blinking, Nico looked down at Will’s hands on his arm then back up to Will’s face. He didn’t know what to do, but he didn’t like seeing Solace look this way, especially over something he said. “You didn’t,” he finally told the other boy for lack of anything better to say. With a sigh, Nico added, “Humor is not something I’m actually good at.”

Solace looked startled, at least until a grin overtook his face. Letting go of Nico’s arm, he said, “I don’t know. I think you’re pretty funny for a ghost boy.”

Nico put his hand over his wounds, chasing the warmth of Will’s hand on his arm. Drawing himself up to full height, he sniped, “That’s Ghost King to you, peasant.”

Solace reached over and ruffled Nico’s hair, turning the silky strands into a tangled snarl. “Yeah yeah, whatever, your Majesty. Let me get something to clean those cuts.” He stood and exited before Nico was done straightening his hair.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason acts like the good best friend he is. Will arrrghs a lot.

Will made his stumbling way to the supply closet to fetch what he needed. Seeing all the marks of abuse on di Angelo’s pale skin had knotted up something inside of him, something he couldn’t put a name to. He didn’t _like_ seeing the evidence of how little Nico regarded himself. He was too skinny, for one thing, the knobs of his spine and arch of his ribs far too noticeable beneath smooth olive skin. And then there were the clawed gashes on his arm—the skin still half-healed and angry red, the blood that leaked from the wounds when he’d pressed on them to examine how deep they went.

Running a hand through his thick blond hair, Will cursed inwardly. He shouldn’t have said what he’d said out on the battlefield to Nico. He could admit—now—that he had no idea what the son of Hades’ life had been like, but Will knew he hadn’t been popular at camp when he’d tried to stay here the last time. And Will hadn’t exactly been welcoming to him at the time either. Maybe if he’d made more of an effort then, like he was trying to do now, di Angelo would have stuck around.

No, instead he’d opened his big fat trap and lit into Nico about how nobody at Camp Half Blood had pushed him away, about how he’d done that himself. God, he wanted to figure out how to time travel so he could go back and slap past Will upside his thick skull. _Way to not be understanding there, dumbass_. And he called himself a healer.

“You okay?” Terry, another Apollo kid, asked.

Will blinked, coming out of his thoughts. “Yeah, just tired.”

“Well, Jason Grace is downstairs. He’s asking for you.” The younger camper pointed toward the stairs.

“Really? You sure he’s not here for di Angelo?” Will’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Why would Jason Grace want to speak with him? Why would Jason Grace even know he was alive? Then again, Nico and Grace had looked pretty tight on the battlefield and during the aftermath of Gaia’s attack, so maybe he was coming to check on the son of Hades.

“Nah, man, he wants to talk to you.”

“Okay, thanks.” Will finished gathering what he needed and then trooped down the stairs to find the son of Jupiter waiting at the bottom of them.

Jason Grace was unreal. Tall, broad-shouldered, blond and blue-eyed, he looked like he should be on the cover of a Wheaties box or advertising for some wholesome, all-American product like Ovaltine or something equally patriotic. His glasses didn’t even look out of place on him. He wore the orange camp t-shirt, the muscles of his chest and arms swelling against the fabric. Seriously, if anyone looked like a Greek god come to life, it was this guy.

Grace didn’t smile when Will joined him at the foot of the stairs. He looked all stoic and serious. “Is there somewhere we can talk?” he asked, casting a glance around the room as though it were peppered with listening devices.

Will nodded and led the way out to the porch and then kept walking. When they were a ways from the Big House—and Will was sure no one would be able to sneak up on them without their knowing—he stopped and said, “What did you want me for?”

“So I know you managed to get Nico to agree to rest in the infirmary for three days—good job with that by the way, I’d love to know how you managed _that_ one—but there are some things you need to be aware of with him.” Jason stared down at Will with the most forbidding look on his face.

_Here we go_ , Will thought. He’d wondered how close Nico and Jason were, but Jason had a girlfriend. Unless Piper was okay with her boyfriend having a boyfriend, which hey, he didn’t judge. It took all kinds to make a world, and Will himself was not exactly what anyone would call completely straight. He cut Jason off before he could warn Will off of Nico. He didn’t want to listen to the “Keep your eyes and hands to yourself” talk—he had patients, one of whom was the object of their discussion, to get back to.

“Look, Grace, I get it--hands off di Angelo.” Will tried not to sound sulky when he said it.

“Wait, what?” Now the big blond superhero looked confused. “Why would I care about your hands being on Nic—oh.” He grinned, looking Will up and down. “No man, it’s not like that between us. Nico’s a good friend. He’s just been through a lot and I want to make sure you’re not going to do something that pisses him off by accident.”

Looking down, Will could feel the hot flush of blood to his entire face. He was pretty sure he was glowing. Gods, he was so stupid. “Pretty sure I do nothing but piss him off,” he muttered. Why, oh why, couldn’t the earth just open up and swallow him.

Because he’d need Nico di Angelo for that. The son of Hades was the only one who seemed blessed with that particular talent. Damn it.

He did his best to ignore Jason’s grin as the older teen spoke. “He hasn’t impaled you on his Stygian sword, so you can’t piss him off that bad. But,” he continued, his voice taking on a more serious tone, “there are a few things you should know about.”

“Like what?” Will didn’t like admitting how much he wanted to know the things Jason knew about Nico. Was that hot feeling in his gut jealousy? Nah, that couldn’t be it. Could it? Why would he be jealous of someone else knowing stuff about Nico di Angelo? They were barely even friends for gods’ sake!

Jason put a hand up to the back of his neck, scratching his short hair. “When we were on the Argo II, he refused to sleep. At first I didn’t know why, but then I found out he has these nightmares.”

“All demigods have nightmares,” Will said hesitantly.

Shaking his head, Grace answered, “Not like these. Tartarus nightmares. The only other people who can relate are Annabeth and Percy, and well, they have each other. Nico,” here he swallowed and looked away for a moment as if the memory pained him. “Look, it took a lot to get Nico to trust me to watch over him while he slept. Especially because if it’s a really bad one, he…uh…tends to summon stuff without meaning to.”

Will’s jaw dropped. “Oh.” He paused, considering. “Like skeleton stuff?” At Grace’s nod, Will uttered a curse. “How often did it happen?”

“Not a lot. But Nico had to be exhausted before he would even try and sleep.” Jason met Will’s gaze with a frank one of his own. “I’ve been talking to Reyna about their trip out here with the statue. Nico didn’t summon in his sleep then, but that was probably because he was so exhausted by the shadow jumps. Now that he’s not killing himself, the nightmares may start again. I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

Will considered what to do. What he’d heard meant Nico was more dangerous than he thought, but it also made him more determined than ever to help the son of Hades. “Thanks for telling me. Anything else I should know?”

Jason shook his head. “Not really. Just don’t tell him I told you anything. I wouldn’t have, except that you’re basically his doctor, I guess, and you needed to know.”

“It stays between us. No one else will know.” Will nodded and turned to head back to the Big House.

Jason stopped him. “I was going to come by with a movie or two and spend some time with him, if that’s cool. I told him I’d show him the new Captain America.”

Will felt something inside of him tighten at the thought of Nico and Jason watching a movie together. Even if the two were just friends, it still made Will want to gnash his teeth together: the two of them, heads bent close over the computer screen…. _ARRRGH_! Will derailed that train of thought before it plunged him off a cliff.

He plastered what he hoped was a casual smile on his face and said, “Sure, no problem,” before practically running back to the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I post original fiction on my tumblr blog, so if you'd like to read some other stuff (not related to a fandom) you can head there. Currently working on world building for a superhero novel called The Boy Who Broke the World. 
> 
> http://jeanettebattista.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter Three

Nico sat on the bed, feeling exposed. Will had said he’d be right back, so the son of Hades hadn’t shrugged back into his shirt, but that had been ten minutes ago. How long did it take to get stuff to stitch him back up? Not that Will needed to—Nico had grown used to the acid gnaw of pain that came with his wounds from Lycaon’s claws. He would have been fine just letting them heal the rest of the way naturally, not matter how long it took.

Shivering, Nico pulled the bedspread up over his shoulders. His jaw cracked on a yawn. He was tired, even though he’d never admit it to anyone. Now that Camps Half Blood and Jupiter weren’t in danger of being wiped off the map and the gods and demigods were safe, it was like the adrenaline that had been keeping Nico going evaporated.

He leaned back, resting his head and shoulders against the headboard of the bed and pulled the covers tighter around his shoulders and chest. He only wanted to rest his eyes…

Nico woke up to the feeling of gentle hands on his sore arm. He tensed, coming awake all of a sudden, instantly aware. It was an indication of how little juice he had left that he hadn’t just dragged them both into shadow at the first touch.

He opened heavy lids to find Will Solace cleaning his wounds. “Ow,” he whispered, giving Will the barest of smiles.

Solace looked up, startled. Then he grinned. “Sorry to wake you,” he said, keeping his voice low, like there was a secret just between the two of them.

“Didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Nico told him, biting back a yawn. He scooted up, noticing that Solace still hadn’t let go of his arm. “How long was I out?” He was a little unnerved that someone had gotten close enough to touch him without him feeling it, even in sleep.

“Only a few minutes,” Will told him, attention going back to cleaning Nico’s wounds. “I’ll be done soon.”

Nico blinked, lazily watching Solace work. He winced once or twice, but Will was careful and did his best not to cause the other demigod additional pain. He found it strangely soothing to watch the son of Apollo work, able to separate his mind from his body so that when Will got around to replacing the stitches in his half-healed gashes, Nico barely noticed.

“All done,” Solace said, setting aside his medical supplies. He pulled off his gloves with a sharp snap and chucked them in the trash bin.

Nico reflexively flexed his biceps. The pain was still there, but bearable. As if he could see what was going through Nico’s thoughts, Will said, “I added a bit of numbing salve to the bandages. Should take away the worst of the remaining pain.” The healer’s blue eyes seemed to glow with an intense light when he watched Nico.

“Oh.” The son of Hades felt himself flushing and didn’t know why. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

Will rolled his eyes, but his words were forced out from between gritted teeth, like Nico had angered him somehow. “I know I didn’t have to, di Angelo.” His golden brows drew down in a scowl. “I’m a _healer_ in case you missed it. I don’t like seeing anyone in pain if I can help it.”

Looking down, Nico wound his fingers in his discarded t-shirt. He needed to be dressed—he didn’t like being half-naked in front of anyone, especially Will Solace. He pulled his shirt over his head and asked, “What’s got you so angry?”

He had to fight back a wide grin—what was with his smiling all of a sudden?—when Solace gaped at him. The blond sat back in his chair, clearly struggling to find words. “I’m not angry,” he managed to blurt out.

Arching a brow at him, Nico said mildly, “Oh really? Because I am pretty much on a first name basis with that emotion and you, Solace, are _angry_. Care to tell me why?”

Will ran a careless hand through his hair, making the cowlicks stick up and rearrange themselves into snarls and fluff. With a gusting sigh, the son of Apollo answered, “You. You piss me off like crazy with your ‘You didn’t have to do that’ this and ‘It’s no big deal, I’ll just stand here holding my guts in, it’s fine’ that.” He gave the son of Hades a particularly virulent glare. “It’s really annoying. You aren’t alone. It’s okay to let other people take care of you once in a while.”

“I have never once had to hold my guts in,” Nico told him haughtily. The effect was ruined by his lopsided grin, he was sure of it. It’s just that Solace was so …no, not cute, he was _not_ thinking cute!... amusing—sure, he could handle amusing—when he was upset. He got this crease between his brows that made him look pissed off but confused about it.

Will aimed a slap Nico’s head, which the son of Hades dodged easily. Growing serious, he said, “You’re taking care of me now.” He met Will’s eyes, feeling nervous.

Solace rewarded him with a blinding smile. “Well,” he answered grudgingly, “keep letting me.” He reached out a hand to rest it on Nico’s black-clad shoulder.

Now Nico ducked his head, face hot, but he didn’t pull away from Will’s touch. The healer’s hand was warm, a pleasant weight resting on his shoulder, fingers lightly kneading into the muscle there. It felt good, better than good actually.

“I’ll try,” he murmured, risking a glance through his lashes at Solace.

“You do that,” Will replied, just as softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one was a short chapter, but this was a good breaking spot before Jason comes back into the story.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie watching! Jason being all bro-tastic.

Will felt like he was intruding, even though Nico had invited him to join him and Jason in their Captain America film festival. Jason had managed to get a laptop with a massive screen, decent speakers, and the two movies into the infirmary and up to Nico’s room without alerting Chiron (Mr. D had been pretty scarce in the days after Gaea’s awakening). Will suspected the Stoll brothers were involved. Either that or Chiron had decided they all needed the break.

Jason had taken the only available chair in Nico’s small private room, and he’d shoved it against the side of the bed. Nico had the laptop balanced on a lap desk across his legs so they could watch without Jason having to lean too far over to see.

Will had walked in about twenty minutes into the first movie to do a quick check on how the werewolf slashes were doing. He’d brought more numbing salve in case di Angelo was feeling uncomfortable, but his wounds seemed the farthest thing from his mind when Will walked in. He was staring at the screen with a look of wonder on his face. Will wondered what if would be like if Nico ever looked at him that way, and promptly mentally slapped himself. The son of Hades was a patient first, and second, he probably wasn’t even interested in Will that way.

He didn’t even know if Nico was interested in guys. Or guys and girls, like Will was.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said as Jason looked up from where he was peering over di Angelo’s shoulder. Will felt his hands clench around the supplies he was carrying at the idea of Jason Grace getting to be so close to Nico and Nico _allowing_ it. He forced his hands and shoulders to relax. _Slow your roll, Solace_. _You’re just here to check on a patient_.

“Hey, Solace.” Jason smiled, then adjusted his glasses. “Come on in and join us. Movie just started.”

Nico hit Pause and looked up. Will felt his face heat as di Angelo regarded him with his night-dark eyes. It was unfair for someone to have eyes that seemed to look into you and see every part of you. “I just need to check your stitches.”

He gave Grace a pointed look to move. It took the son of Zeus a minute before he got it, then he scrambled up to allow Will space to work. Will pushed the sleeve of Nico’s t-shirt out of the way so he could see his handiwork. “How do they feel? Giving you any pain?” Will felt a glow of pride in his stitches: neat, close, and even.

Nico turned his head so he could see what Will was doing. “Not enough to bother me.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “I’ve got more salve. If it’s bothering you at all, say something. We talked about this.”

Jason chuckled behind him. _What did Grace think was so funny_? With a sigh, di Angelo said, “It’s fine, Solace. I don’t need anything.”

“Fine,” Will huffed, irritation niggling at him like a burr under his skin. “Let me know if—“

“Come on, Will, join us!” Jason flopped back down in his chair. “It’ll be fun, right Nico?”

Nico glared at Grace like the son of Zeus had just said climbing the lava wall was light exercise. Then again, the guy could fly so maybe it was. Will felt like there was an unspoken conversation going on between the two of them, and decided it was better if he left.

Until di Angelo said, “Yeah, sure. Solace, you in?”

There was a challenge in Nico’s eyes, Will would swear to it. The son of Hades even arched a brow, as if to say, _you talk a good game, Solace. Let’s see it in action_.

“Fine,” he said again, “I’ll just drag in another chair.”

“Nah, just climb up there with Nico,” Jason drawled, and Will could swear there was the sound of a smile in his voice. “There’s not enough room in here for two chairs and nowhere we could put them both so we could all see the movie.”

The glare di Angelo gave Grace should have withered him right on the spot. His face was pinched with discomfort, like the whole conversation had taken a turn he didn’t like. Will held back a grin. He loved seeing Nico look uncomfortable—he was very cute when he squirmed.

“I can move,” the dark haired demigod snapped.

“Nope!” Jason’s voice was triumphant. “I believe good doctor Solace here recommended you to take it easy. Am I right, Will?”

“I did order him to rest for three days,” Will answered thoughtfully. “And he does look pretty comfortable already.” Oh yeah, Nico was pissed off now. His cheeks were tinted pink even as he ground out a muttered curse in Greek. “I’ll make do.”

Will went around to the other side of the bed and climbed on. Nico scooted over as much as he could to give him room, but it was still a pretty tight fit on the twin bed between the two of them. Good thing Nico was pretty slight; there was no way this would have worked if someone of Jason’s size. Will looked over and caught Grace grinning at the two of them. What in Hades was he up to?

Nico held himself stiffly, doing his best not to lean on Jason or touch Will at all. With an annoyed sigh, he asked, “Are we done? Can I turn the movie back on?” Without waiting for their assent, he pushed Play.

Will found it hard to pay attention to the film. He’d seen it in the theater, so he knew the story anyway. His eyes were drawn instead to Nico, drinking in his expressions and exclamations as he watched. It wasn’t until Will heard the other boy muttering about how he remembered certain uniforms looking that the son of Apollo realized the time period of the movie was close to when Nico was growing up.

From that point on, Will’s eyes were glued to the son of Hades’ face. As the movie went on, Nico relaxed, leaning against Will without even realizing it. Will loved the way Nico’s eyes narrowed when he was concentrating on a scene, the way his eyes widened in delight when there was an especially cool stunt. At one point, Nico looked over at Jason and said, “This is how I picture you. One big Boy Scout.”

Jason laughed, shoulder pressed tight to the other side of Nico. Will glanced over. “No, he’s Superman. The whole flying thing.”

Nico shook his head. “Nope. Captain America.” He said it with a finality that neither of them could deny.

They put in Winter Soldier. Nico didn’t make as many comments, probably because it was modern day, but he still watched it just as seriously as the first. Will felt the boy tense at different moments, basically any time Bucky appeared on screen. He laughed softly a few times, but Will thought Nico looked sadder when the credits rolled.

Jason noticed too, brows drawing low in concern. But all he asked was, “So what did you think?”

Will waited for Nico to pull away like he usually did, but the son of Hades stayed with his shoulder nestled against Will’s chest. He yawned, rubbing at one eye sleepily. “I liked them. The first one more than the second, but that may have been the time period.”

Jason began to pack up the laptop and accessories. Will stayed still, a little afraid to move. He didn’t want to push Nico off of him; he would have happily sat there forever, if he got to keep that warm weight against him. It was Nico who broke contact first, wiggling away from Will so he could hunker down against the pillows. Will got up from the bed and checked Nico’s vitals. The son of Hades ran cooler than most, but otherwise seemed fine, if worn thin.

“Something bothered you,” Jason said, eyeing Nico carefully.

Nico gave the son of Zeus a tired smile. “Just thinking. If you’re Captain America, I guess I’m the Winter Soldier. Everyone expects me to go evil anyway. Son of Hades and all that.” He yawned again, eyelids slipping closed.

Will’s gaze locked with Jason’s over the small lump that was Nico’s sleeping form. Grace looked stricken, like someone had punched him in the gut. Will pulled the covers up over the exhausted demigod before gesturing for Jason to join him out in the hallway.

“He’s still expecting people to think the worst of him,” Jason said as soon as Will closed the door to Nico’s room. “I don’t understand it.”

Will rubbed the hair at the back of his head, eyes downcast. “I think I know why,” he began, voice quiet so he wouldn’t wake Nico. “It was after the last war. I mean, Nico really saved our asses during the battle of Manhattan. But when he tried to stay here, well,” here Will looked away. He remembered what Nico had said on the battlefield with Octavian. And after he’d thought about, he understood where those feelings came from. Campers had found the son of Hades unnerving. They had stayed away from him. No one had thought to welcome him or reach out to him.

“Well what?” Jason’s voice was low, angry, and it held the rumble of distant thunder.

“Maybe camp wasn’t the most welcoming place after a while, okay? I’m not trying to excuse the behavior, but that’s what happened the last time Nico tried to stay here.” Now Will looked up. “I think it’s great that he’s going to try staying here again, and I think it will be different this time. But you asked, so there it is. That’s why.”

Jason’s face was tight with anger. “No wonder he fought me so hard about staying. He didn’t want to risk the same reaction.” His face relaxed a little. “But he’s going to stay now. He told me so. But I don’t like that he still thinks the same thing will happen.”

“Then we’ll just have to show him differently,” the healer replied firmly, a determined look in his eyes.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hades sends a gift.

Nico dreamed. Or at least he thought he was dreaming. Talking to his father was always a bit of a nightmare, although he tried not to do it very often. There was too much that lay between him and his father for their conversations to ever be truly comfortable.

Hades swirled into being in Nico’s cabin. The god of the Underworld took one look at the décor and gave a dismissive shrug. “This is atrocious.”

Nico looked up from where he’d been staring at Hazel’s little alcove, the blankets still hanging up for privacy. He missed his sister, more than he’d expected to. He’d hoped they would have a little more time together before she left for New Rome. Still, he could go visit her any time he wanted, although now the trip would have to be done through more ordinary means than shadow travel.

“The kids here have some strange ideas,” he told his father, jerking his head at his bed that resembled a vampire’s coffin. “And really horrible taste.” Nico stood, brushing off his jeans so he had something to do with his hands. “Did you need something from me, Father?” Nico didn’t like how tired and resigned his voice sounded when he said it.

Hades stared down at Nico from a height. It wasn’t fair that even at a normal, un-godly height, his father still seemed to loom over anyone in his presence. Nico felt small, swallowed by his father’s shadow. But he forced himself to meet his father’s dark gaze.

The lord of the Underworld’s next words came as a complete surprise. “You remind me so much of your mother,” Hades said, voice wistful. A sad smile passed across his face, like a cloud scudding across the moon.

Nico blinked, taking a step back. That was the last thing he’d ever expected his father to say. Hades never talked about Nico’s mother, and even if he had, Nico expected that kind of sentimentality would have been reserved for Bianca.

“I—I—don’t get it?” he managed to say, eyes wide and round in shock.

Hades’ mouth quirked up at the corners in a slight smile. Nico resisted his immediate impulse to step back again. That smile was _unnerving_. “I was giving you a compliment. You look so much like her. And you’re fearless, just like she was.”

_Okay, who are you and what have you done to my father_? Nico wanted to ask, if he didn’t think he’d be blasted to atoms on the spot. Instead, he rubbed absently at the claw marks on his arm and said, “Fearless? Me? I’m afraid of everything.”

Now Hades full on smiled. It looked strange on his face, like he’d only just heard of this strange thing called smiling from books and needed to practice in the mirror until he got it right. The look he gave Nico was almost fond. “Everyone has fears, my son. Even the gods. But you—you don’t let yours stop you.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Nico raised his eyebrows. This was possibly the weirdest conversation he’d ever had with his dad. And that included all the ones about being turned into a plant by his stepmother.

Hades cocked his head, surveying his son. “It is. You should always listen to your fears, Nico. But never let them hold you back from what you truly want.”

Nico looked into his father’s stern face, feeling too many things to name easily. “Okay,” he said softly, out of his depth. “I’ll bear that in mind.”

Father and son shared a look. It was Hades who turned away first, but he did so with another smile. “As for why I’m here,” he began, pacing over to the altar against one wall. “I understand you won’t be able to shadow travel for some time,” he held up a hand when Nico began to protest, “and while Jules Albert is useful in getting around, it would be much simpler if you had another means of transport, yes?”

“Well, I was hoping to go see Hazel and Reyna when I get out of the infirmary,” Nico admitted. “And a drive across country is not my idea of fun.”

“I have a gift for you then,” Hades told him. “It should make your life a bit easier until you are fully healed.” The god of the Underworld walked over to Nico and placed both hands on his shoulders.

Nico looked up into his father’s face, trying to read what he saw in those dark eyes. He thought it might be…respect? Then Hades spoke and his words answered Nico’s unspoken question. “I am proud of you, my son. So very, very proud.”

Nico felt his face heat, but he kept his head up. “Thank you, Father.”

The dream began to change around him but he thought he heard Hades say, “Be happy, my son,” before everything dissolved into light.

Nico sat up in bed. Late morning sun streamed in through the window at the far end of the room, creeping halfway up the quilt. He’d slept late, later than he usually did. It was probably almost time for lunch. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, the son of Hades tried to make sense of his dream. His father mentioned something about a gift. What could that be?

A knock at his door forced him out of bed. Yanking on a pair of pajama pants over his boxers, he said, “Come in,” just as Will Solace stuck his head in.

“Nice hair,” the healer commented, blue eyes snapping with good humor when he looked at the tangle that sat atop Nico’s head.

Nico ran his fingers through the mess, trying to tame the cowlicks and flyaways. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It hadn’t helped. It looked like he’d stapled a marmoset to his head. Grabbing someone’s discarded elastic hair band from the nightstand, he yanked his long hair back and pulled it into a loose ponytail.

“What’s up?”

The grin faded from Will’s face. “You should come downstairs. I think there’s something for you.”

***

“Oh. My. Dad.” Nico stopped on the porch of the Big House and stared. He could feel Solace’s warm presence behind him.

“They were just waiting here this morning.” Will shoved a piece of parchment into Nico’s slack hand. “They came with this.”

Nico wanted to read the note, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the two hellhounds that sat like statues in the late morning light. They were young; not puppies, not yet full grown either. Either way, they were the most beautiful things he’d ever seen.

He ran over to them, ignoring Will’s protests. As soon as Nico got close, they began to pant happily and wag their tails. Nico threw his arms around one’s neck while the other sniffed his hair. He laughed when the cold nose tickled his neck.

Will’s angry stomps made him look up, a grin on his face. The healer’s face changed from irritated to worried to uncomfortable in about fifteen seconds. It just made Nico want to laugh harder. He handed the note back to Will when one of the hounds demanded head scratchings. “Can you read that for me, please? I think I need both hands free for these guys.”

The son of Apollo humphed, but unrolled the scroll of paper. He read in a clear voice:

                My son,

                Say hello to Hazel for me, when you see her. These hellhounds should make your trip to New Rome go much more quickly. I know you will put them to good use.

                Your father

Nico had buried his head in one of the dog’s night black coats, choking on laughter. He could shadow travel now! He could see Hazel and Reyna and Frank without having to take a train or have Jules Albert drive him overland. He could go anywhere he wanted!

A noise from Will made him amend his thoughts. After his three days in the infirmary were up, then he could go wherever he wanted.

Nico looked up to find Will fending off licks from his other hellhound. The healer had his hands up, trying to push the hellhound’s head away, but he was laughing while he did it. The hound bumped into him, nearly knocking Solace over.

“Was there anything else in the note?” Nico asked.

“Nope, that was it.” Will began to scratch behind the hound’s ears. “So what are you going to name them?”

Nico thought for a moment. They hadn’t come with names. Maybe something like Reyna’s metal dogs, something that indicated they were a matched set. Onyx and Obsidian? He shook his head. Too pretentious. Shadow and Other Shadow? No, that was just dumb.

He watched Will pet the hellhound for a few minutes, absently stroking down his own hound’s flank. Then Nico grinned. “I got it,” he told the son of Apollo, who looked at him, a question in his blue eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Bucky and Steve.”

Will’s smile seemed to flare brighter than the sun. “That’s perfect.”


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will does some sleuthing of his own.

Will had relented about keeping Nico in the infirmary for the rest of the day once Bucky and Steve showed up. He’d made the son of Hades promise that he wouldn’t do anything more strenuous than find somewhere for them to sleep and get them acclimated to Camp Half-Blood. And he’d gotten an oath on the Styx from the dark-haired teen that there would be no shadow travel, even with the hounds, until Will cleared him.

The son of Apollo hadn’t minded giving Nico a bit of time away from him because he had work to do. That it related directly to di Angelo—like everything in Will’s life seemed to right now—didn’t bother him one bit. After making sure his shift at the Big House was covered, not that there were that many patients left to treat, Will went off to find Percy and Annabeth.

He came away from his conversations with them a little shell-shocked. Will had gone to them to get information about what Tartarus was like and how it might relate to Nico. What he’d gotten was Nico’s history in the Titan War, a story about Nico befriending an amnesiac Titan named Bob, a brief glimpse into the horrors of Tartarus, and the knowledge that Nico was gay.

Annabeth had tried to stop Percy from outing Nico, but apparently the son of Poseidon was still so rocked by Nico’s admission that his brain had dribbled out his ears.

He’d said, “And what did he mean, _I’m not his type_?” Percy glanced between Annabeth and Will. He crossed his arms over his chest sullenly. “Like I even knew he had a crush on me.”

Will swallowed around a lump in his throat as Annabeth slapped her boyfriend on the back of the head. “I don’t think Nico wants it trotted out all over camp, idiot,” she hissed, rolling her eyes in frustration.

“Nah, Solace is cool, he won’t blab.” Percy grinned. “Right, Will?”

The healer nodded, feeling like he’d been smacked upside the head with a two by four. “I’m his doctor basically, so everything kind of falls under patient privacy. I’m not going to spread gossip about Nico.” Oh wow, holy crapballs. Nico being gay sure explained a lot, especially considering the time period in which he grew up. Not that things were perfect now, but they were somewhat better than back in the 30’s and 40’s.

He tried to keep his voice clinically detached, but the flutters in his stomach were making it hard. “So how did you find this out?”

Annabeth and Percy explained, with Will avidly making mental notes. Percy finished with, “And seriously? I’m _everybody’s_ type.”

Will stood to leave. He’d heard enough from them and he still had plenty of work left to do. But before he left…

“You’re not my type either, Jackson.” Will told Percy as Annabeth dissolved into chortles beside her stunned boyfriend.

 

***

 

Next up was Reyna. Will placed an Iris message to the praetor of New Rome, surprised when she answered right away. The call took longer than he’d expected, but that was because Reyna had a lot to say on the subject of Nico di Angelo and his health. Will learned all about their trip to return the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood in unsparing words from the Roman. She painted a stark picture of loyalty, courage, duty, and honor, giving Nico full credit for saving their lives time and again while nearly killing himself in the process.

“So how is he doing?” she asked, voice tentative, as if she was worried about the younger demigod.

“He’s resting,” Will told her, a pleased smile on his face. With Reyna in Nico’s corner as a friend, he had little doubt that anyone would dare snub the son of Hades again. But still, he wanted to be sure that Nico was given a fair chance. “He’s still pretty worn out and I’m not letting him shadow travel anytime soon. Don’t worry, I’m going to be keeping a close eye on him so he doesn’t do anything too stupidly noble.”

Reyna chuckled, a warm breath of sound. “See that he doesn’t. I still want him on my team for the next game of Capture the Flag.”

Will grinned at her. “Remind me to sit that one out then. The two of you could take on both camps. And win.”

Reyna’s smile was one of pure pleasure. “Take good care of him, Will. I’m counting on you.”

The son of Apollo felt like he should salute or something when she spoke to him in that tone. It was the voice of someone used to being obeyed. He inclined his head and said, “I will, Praetor. I’ve got him covered.” She smirked a little at his word choice.

When they disconnected, Will shook his head. One more person to talk to and then he could go check on his patient. Now on to Hazel.

The son of Apollo wasn’t sure how Hazel would take to his questions about her relationship with Nico and what she knew about him, but the daughter of Pluto was incredibly open. It was obvious she cared deeply for her half-brother and worried for his safety and happiness like the rest of his friends. While she didn’t share anything that Nico had told her in confidence, she did tell Will how he’d found her in the Underworld, got her settled in New Rome, and enabled her to have a second chance to put things right.

“Is everything okay with him?” she asked after a pause. “I was kind of hoping he’d come with us back to New Rome.” Will’s stomach dropped at the thought of Nico leaving. He dismissed it as Hazel continued. “He said he’d visit as soon as he was able.”

“He’s getting some much needed rest,” he assured her. Then he smiled and said, “And he might be visiting you sooner than expected. Your dad sent him two hellhounds since he’s not up to shadow travel. We’ll have to wait and see how the next couple of days goes, but it might not be that long before he’s ready for the trip.”

Hazel’s delighted smile nearly blinded him. Seriously, how could these kids of the Underworld be so cute. Will backed that thought right out of his head. He wasn’t doing all of this because Nico was _cute_. He was doing it because di Angelo was his patient. That was all.

_Right, Solace. And I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I’d like to sell you_.

He ignored the snarky voice in his head and signed off, promising Hazel he’d give her updated reports on the her brother’s health.

 

***

Nico was asleep when Will returned to the infirmary. Jason Grace sat in the chair beside the bed, reading a paperback. He looked up when Will came in.

“He just fell asleep,” the blond demigod told him, standing up to stretch.

“Did you meet his hellhounds?” Will asked as he put down his medical supplies.

“Bucky and Steve? Yeah.” Grace grinned. “Got them all set up in the woods so they won’t bother the Pegasi or other campers.” His face turned serious. “They kind of scared a few of the younger ones. I’m not sure if they’re going to help Nico feel comfortable if people look at him like he could sic his big bloodthirsty beasts on them at any moment.”

Thinking for a moment, Will nodded. “I have an idea that may take care of that. Let me think about it.” When Grace moved past him on his way out the door, Will told him, “You don’t have to leave.”

“Nah, it’s okay. You’re here now and I promised to hang with Piper before dinner.” He looked out the window at the sun that was beginning to set. They had about an hour before supper. “See you, Solace.”

“Later, Grace.”

Will waited until Jason’s footsteps on the stairs faded before he took his empty chair. He wanted to have another look at Nico’s arm, but the son of Hades was sleeping on that side and Will didn’t want to wake him. He’d wait.

He turned over everything he’d heard today in his mind. If people at camp knew what Nico had sacrificed, what he had gone through and was willing to go through time and time again, they’d realize how lucky the Greeks were to have the demigod on their side. Lou Ellen and Cecil had seen him in action, and he knew they could be counted on to squash any spooky rumors that might pop up. And then there was Jason. And Piper. And even Annabeth and Percy would help.

This time would be different, Will vowed. This time, Nico would get the credit he deserved. This time he wouldn’t be made to feel like he didn’t belong. This time, Nico would stay. Will just needed a way to make those hellhounds…

A soft cry pulled Will out of his thoughts. He glanced at the bed. Nico’s eyes were closed tightly, a deep crease of anguish wrinkling his brows. The teen huddled in on himself, his entire body shaking from whatever nightmare was playing out in his sleep. His arm twitched, fingers grasping about as if looking for a sword to grasp.

Will crossed to the bed and squatted down so he was face to face with Nico. Very gently, he put a hand on his shoulder and called his name. “Hey, come on now, Nico. Come back to me. I’m right here.”

He felt the thin shoulder flinch beneath his fingers as Nico tried to jerk away. Will let him, still following him with touch, trying to ground him back in reality. “Come on back, Nico. It’s Will. It’s okay.”

Brown eyes flashed open as Nico woke with a loud gasp. His breath sawed in and out, shaky with panic. Will kept his hand on the other demigod’s shoulder, digging his fingers lightly into the muscle there, trying to soothe away his fear.

Nico blinked slowly, as if coming back to himself was an effort. “Will?” His voice was hoarse, raspy like sandpaper on wood. He pushed himself up on his elbow, wincing when his stitches pulled.

Will pushed him back down on the bed. Nico watched him through confused eyes, his gaze bouncing around the room like he still wasn’t sure where he was. “Wh—what, where’s Jason?”

“You were having a nightmare,” Will told him, keeping his voice soft and even. “Jason had to leave, so I sat with you.” Nico still stared at him, bewildered, like he was speaking Urdu or something.

“Why?”

“He had to meet up with Piper before dinner.” Will helped Nico sit up so he could take a look at how the gashes on his arm were healing.

Nico shook his head and shoved long hair out of his eyes. “Not that. I mean, why would you stay with me?”

Will pulled up Nico’s sleeve and carefully unwrapped the bandages around the wound. It didn’t look infected and seemed to be healing up, albeit slowly. The skin around the claw marks was healthy and clean with no sign of puffiness, so the healer in Will was going to call it a job well done.

Gently he cleaned the wound, reapplying more of the numbing salve. As he re-wrapped the gashes in gauze, Will told him, “Because I like looking after you.”

Nico went still beneath his hands. It was a poised stillness, as if the son of Hades stood on the brink of fight or flight. Will didn’t look at him, just kept winding the gauze around his arm. He could feel the tension in the younger demigod’s body, tremors making him vibrate like a tuning fork.

Once the son of Apollo had secured the bandage, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against the wrappings. Only when he was done did he look at Nico’s face.

The son of Hades sat stunned, dark eyes wide and full of both fear and longing in equal measure. Will smiled up at him, locking down on his own nervousness. He didn’t know why he’d done that—why he’d kissed Nico’s arm. All he knew was that it felt right at the time. And that he wanted to kiss Nico again. If he’d let him.

“Why did you do that?” Nico asked in a husk of a voice.

“Because I wanted to,” Will said in the barest of whispers. He lifted his head so that they were eye to eye. “And I’d like to do it again.” He paused to lick his lips nervously. Will met Nico’s gaze, blue locking with brown. “If you’ll let me.”

Nico’s throat worked to swallow. Tentatively, Will reached out a hand, waiting for Nico to flinch away or tell him to stop. When he did neither, the son of Apollo tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind an ear. He let the tips of his fingers rest lightly against the hinge of Nico’s jaw.

“Can I?” Will asked again. “Kiss you?”

Nico’s brows drew down, almost in a scowl of determination. Will could feel the clench of the other demigod’s jaw beneath his fingers, and wondered if he’d royally screwed everything up. He liked Nico, probably more than he should this soon, but it couldn’t be helped. He wanted to kiss him, more than anything on this earth.

He moved to pull away when Nico whispered, “Yes.”

Will slid his hand down and around from Nico’s jaw so that his fingers brushed the silky hair at the base of his skull. Will leaned in, pressing his lips gently against the younger demigod’s, the barest touch of flesh against flesh. Nico met him with a small exhale, his hand rising to rest lightly against Will’s chest.

Will slanted his mouth, adding a bit more pressure to their kiss. He wanted to taste Nico’s mouth, but he kept the kiss light, easy to break. It was Nico who parted Will’s lips, his tongue slipping inside his mouth briefly. Nico tasted like smoke and shadow and something sharp and a little bitter, but Will didn’t mind. The son of Hades was delicious.

Better than delicious. It was so good that Will never wanted to stop kissing Nico di Angelo.


	7. Seven

Nico’s head spun, in the best way possible. He was kissing Will Solace. More importantly, Will Solace was kissing him back. And it was amazing and sweet and had the right amount of tongue—not that Nico had anything to compare it to actually—it was just about the best thing that had ever happened to him in his short but difficult life! His eyes kept wanting to drift closed, but he forced them to stay half-open so he could memorize the way Will looked.

It was his first kiss after all. He wanted to remember everything about it.

Will caught him staring though, and slowly pulled away, a huge grin on his face. The son of Apollo’s tanned cheeks were flushed a dark pink, suffusing his skin with a warm glow. His blue eyes were hazy, reminding Nico of a cat napping in a sunbeam.

Will pressed his forehead against Nico’s. “Hi there,” the healer whispered.

“Hello.” Nico blinked, not entirely sure what he was doing. His hand was still resting against Will’s chest, fingers bunched in the front of his shirt. He relaxed his hold, smoothing out the rumpled fabric.

Will moved away only long enough to sit on the bed next to Nico. Now that they weren’t kissing, the son of Hades felt awkward. What did they do now? What did this mean anyway? Was it just a one-time thing? Had Will even liked it? Nico certainly had, but then again, he didn’t have anything to compare this kiss to.

Will seemed to understand that Nico was getting caught up in his own thoughts because the son of Apollo reached over and put a gentle hand on his jaw, turning Nico’s head so they were face to face.

“That was good,” he said, eyes half-lidded. His lips were turned up in a lazy smile. “Can I kiss you again?”

“Y—you still want to?” Nico stammered, completely out of his depth.

He thought Will would laugh at him, but the healer surprised him. He drew back the tiniest bit, but didn’t take his hand off Nico’s cheek. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”

Feeling himself flush, Nico glanced away. Will was having none of that. He nudged Nico’s jaw, making the other demigod look at him again. Sighing, Nico explained, “I wasn’t sure if I did it right.” His voice was soft, a little embarrassed.

Will smiled, and it was a little like the sun coming over the horizon. He dipped his head down so his mouth was right at Nico’s ear and said, “You did great. You’re an awesome kisser.”

Nico shivered at the feel of Will’s hot breath against his skin, especially when combined with the soft brush of his curly hair against his face. He swallowed, feeling his mouth go dry. “Oh, uh, that’s good, I guess. I’ve never done it before.”

Will pulled back once again so he was staring into Nico’s eyes. The younger demigod felt like he would be swallowed whole by that blue gaze, so clear and open, and so different from the blue of Percy or Jason’s eyes. Will’s eyes were the blue of a cloudless, hot summer day. Wow.

“That was your first kiss? With anyone?” Will’s eyes lit when Nico nodded. “Well, I’m honored.” Then he waggled his brows at him. “Want to do it again?”

Nico laughed, unable to stop himself. It felt like something that he’d been holding onto had cracked open inside of him and was just spilling out, an overflow of something hopeful and bright. He hadn’t felt this way in years. His father’s words came back to him: Don’t let fear stop you from getting what you want.

What he wanted was to kiss the son of Apollo again.

“Yeah,” Nico answered, pulling Will’s head down to his. “I do,” he said before their lips met again.

And look at that. He was getting what he wanted.


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's hellhound plan

“Hey, Spooky, wake up.”

Nico cracked open sleepy eyelids to find Will’s face startlingly close to his own. “ ‘m not spooky,” Nico mumbled, burrowing his face down in the pillow. “You’re shiny.”

Will snorted with laughter. Nico pulled one of the pillows over his head. It was way too early to be that happy. Now that Nico had the chance to sleep as late as he wanted, he was going to enjoy it.

He was enjoying a lot of things. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t expecting something horrible to happen to make up for it, but he was doing his best to not freak out and just let it all happen. It wasn’t easy, but he was trying.

His nose twitched. He smelled something amazing very close to his head. Moving the pillow far enough away so he could see out of one eye, the son of Hades focused on a to-go cup held in the hand of one Will Solace. That’s where the heavenly smell was coming from. “What’s that?”

“If you come out of your blanket cocoon like a good demigod, I’ll let you have this delicious cup of _real_ Italian coffee.”

Nico surged up, nearly tackling Will to get at the cup in his hands. The only reason he pulled his movements was because he didn’t want to risk spilling any of the precious black gold held inside it. Will laughed and relinquished his prize easily.

Taking a sip, Nico closed his eyes in bliss. This was just as he remembered. His mother used to make it like this when they lived in Italy. She’d doctored it for him and Bianca when they were kids. More than anything, this tasted like home. “Where did you…how did you…?” He looked up at Will helplessly.

“We can ask for anything, remember?” Will’s smile was fond, almost indulgent. Nico found himself unable to look away. The son of Apollo wore his usual scrub shirt with cargo shorts and flip flops, blond hair gleaming like a halo. He’d been up for a while, having to check on patients. He must have left so quietly that Nico hadn’t even stirred.

When the son of Hades made a _go on_ gesture, he shrugged. “I asked Coach Hedge what you’d liked to drink when you were on the Argo II. Then I went to breakfast and requested it. That’s the real thing.”

Nico wrapped his hands around the cup to keep them steady. “Thanks,” he said softly, surprised that Will did stuff like this for him. That Will seemed to actually _care_. It was hard to get used to. He felt like he should do something more than just say thanks, so he bumped his shoulder into the side of Will’s thigh.

The healer plopped down on the bed beside Nico. “So, you feel up to a little exercise today?”

“You mean I’m not confined to quarters anymore? You aren’t worried that I’m going to stub my toe and pass out from the pain?” He grinned slyly to let Will know he was teasing.

“You’ve been doing a terrific of a bed slug long enough,” the blond answered, gently nudging him in the ribs with his elbow, but careful not to make Nico spill his precious coffee. “And you have two hellhounds that could probably do with some exercise.”

Nico bounded to his feet, coffee forgotten. “Steve and Bucky!” He should have checked on them last night but he was a little distracted.

“Pants!” Will shouted as Nico went to open the door in nothing but a t-shirt and boxers. “They’re fine,” he assured the younger demigod. Nico yanked on a pair of old pajama pants. “You’ve got time to take a shower and get dressed. I need to set some things up anyway.”

Nico turned, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “What are you planning, Solace?” He noticed the small, devious smile playing at the edges of Will’s lips. He kind of wanted to kiss that smile away.

What was stopping him?

The son of Hades stepped forward, into Will’s space, and put his hand on the back of his head. He dragged Will’s mouth down to his, kissing him deeply. Will’s lips parted on a surprised sigh, allowing Nico to lick at the other teen’s teeth and tongue. Will tasted like sunlight and mint and sugar cubes, the kind Nico used to crack between his teeth as a kid. He brought his other hand up to the side of Will’s head, so that his palms held the son of Apollo in place while Nico kissed him breathless.

When he finally let Will up for air, the healer was flushed, eyes dazed. “Uh,” Will said articulately, staggering a bit. “WOW.”

Nico smirked. He might be getting the hang of the whole kissing thing. And seeing a son of Apollo speechless was a pretty great perk.

Will recovered quickly. “Oh-kay,” he said, breathing out and shaking his head. “So you, ah, go get cleaned up and get the hounds and I will, ah…,” he trailed off, staring at Nico’s upturned mouth in a kind of dazed fascination.

“You’ll meet me…?” Nico prompted with a snicker.

Will blinked, snapping out of whatever it was he’d been thinking about. “Yeah, uh, in the big field behind the practice area.”

Nico nodded, spinning on his heel to go. He’d just reached the door when Will’s palm crashed into it, slamming it closed. Nico turned his head only to have Will press him back against the door and kiss him. It was brief but intense, and Nico barely had time to register it before Will had stepped away.

“That’s what you get for being so damn good at kissing, di Angelo,” Will half-snarled. “Now you have five seconds to get out of here or I’m dragging you back into that bed and not letting you up for another three days despite what your hellhounds need.”

Nico would have liked nothing more than to take Will up on that threat. They’d stayed up late last night, mostly talking, occasionally making out, but they were still in the getting to know you stage of whatever it was they were doing, and Nico could think of nothing better than to spend the day with Will just the two of them, without the distraction of other campers. But he couldn’t leave Bucky and Steve alone for too much longer. He had responsibilities, just as Will did.

“Later, Solace,” he said, opening the door the slightest bit before slipping through.

“Count on it, di Angelo.”

 

***

 

Everyone at camp had heard about Bucky and Steve it seemed. When he brought them down from the woods, Nico noticed a number of eyes following him. Some of them looked a little nervous, but most were friendly. Cecil called out a greeting as Nico and the hellhounds passed by him, while Lou Ellen bounded up to be thoroughly licked in greeting by Bucky.

“He’s such a sweetie,” Lou Ellen said, laughing as Steve tried to get in on the action. “Where are you going?”

“They’re pretty great,” Nico agreed, rubbing Bucky’s neck. “I’m meeting Will at the big field. He says he has a plan for exercising these guys.”

“Can I come?”

“Sure,” Nico told her. “Don’t see why not.” He didn’t think it would be very much fun for her to just hang out and watch, but the son of Hades didn’t mind. He liked Lou Ellen. And she could turn people into piglets. That was pretty cool.

They collected a little group of campers as they made their way to the field. Nico didn’t know most of them—he’d been away from camp for too long—but he tried to smile at the ones who looked a little too nervous when Bucky and Steve began sniffing around. He was grateful when he saw Will’s bright hair.

He stood next to a stack of small bronze shields. Jason Grace stood next to him. They both smiled and waved when they saw Nico and his hellhounds.

“What’s up with those?” the son of Hades asked, pointing at the shields.

Will picked one up and passed it to Nico. It was a solid weight in his hands but not too heavy. He looked at the son of Apollo with raised eyebrows. The healer grinned and said, “Well, I figured these guys would love to play Frisbee, but a normal one just wouldn’t cut it, right?” He absently scratched Bucky on the top of his head. “So I snagged some shields from the Hephaestus cabin. Thought these would work pretty well.” He gestured towards the open field. “Give it a try.”

Nico slanted a glance at Will. There was more to this than just Frisbee, that much he knew. Will was sharp and noticed things a lot of others didn’t. What was he up to?

Bucky and Steve perked up when Nico readied the shield to throw. It took him a bit to get the disc in a position where throwing was comfortable, but when he had it, he called to his dogs, “Okay boys, go get it!” and flung the shield away.

It sailed down the field. Both hellhounds tore after it. Steve made a leaping catch over Bucky to grab the shield out of the air. Cheers erupted from behind Nico. When he turned, he saw the group of campers had swelled and they were watching the dogs play with curiosity.

Will grabbed a shield and threw it at Bucky. It made a long, low arc which the hellhound easily caught. Both of them bounded back, shields caught between teeth like knives, to drop them at Nico’s feet. He picked one up, ignoring the slobber, and flung it again. Will passed a shield to Jason, who did the same.

Soon Lou Ellen asked for a turn, followed by other campers. A few even engaged in a game of tag with Steve when they ran out of shields to share. Will stood at Nico’s shoulder, watching the scene before him with a satisfied smile on his face.

“I know what you’re doing,” Nico said. Will had made sure none of the campers would feel uncomfortable around his hounds. Word of the day of play would travel around Camp Half-Blood, and soon the hellhounds would be as welcome and seen as normal as the Pegasi.

Will Solace was freaking brilliant sometimes. Nico would never have thought of doing this.

Percy and Jason were trying to see who could throw the shields the farthest. As Nico watched, Jason wound up and threw his shield, twisting at the waist just like Steve Rogers did. “Just like I said,” Nico murmured. “He’s Captain America.”

Will leaned forward, chest warm and solid against Nico’s back. He dipped his head down so his mouth was at the younger demigod’s ear. “He’s not, you know. If anyone’s Steve Rogers, it’s you.”

Nico twisted his neck so he could see Will’s face. The son of Apollo eyes were on the two frolicking hellhounds, but his hands rested lightly on Nico’s waist. He shifted his gaze so he was staring into Nico’s disbelieving brown eyes.

“I’m serious,” Will told him. “Steve was a hero way before he became Cap. He threw himself on that grenade to save his team when he was in basic training. He never gave up. He sacrificed for his friends.” Nico felt Will’s smile against his cheek. “That’s you, Nico. You do the same thing.

“You’ll always be Captain America to me.”

Nico closed his eyes, feeling overcome for a moment. How could Will say that? How did he even think that?

“Hey, look at me.” Will’s voice was warm with concern and affection. Nico did as he was asked to see the healer’s serious face in front of his. “I’m going to keep saying it, so you might as well get used to it.”

Nico shook his head. “It’s hard,” he managed to get out, voice hoarse. “I don’t know how to take it when you say stuff like that. You barely know me.” Fear rose up inside of him. It was true, Will only knew one side of him. What if he didn’t like everything else that made Nico, well, Nico?

Will draped his arms over Nico’s shoulders, resting his chin on one. “I know you better than you think, Nico. And I’m with you. To the end of the line.”

The voice of Tartarus whispered that he didn’t deserve this, any of it. But that voice couldn’t be trusted, Nico knew that. It was just so hard _not_ to believe it. Being alone was safer, even if it hurt. At least it was a hurt that he was used to.

But if fear was all that was stopping him…

“If I’m Steve, does that make you Bucky?” he asked Will, voice so low that Will had to lean in close to hear it. “And does that mean I need to watch out for you turning into an evil Russian assassin?”

Will hugged him tightly, then let him go. “Only if you’re lucky.” He began to slide his arms off of Nico’s shoulders, but Nico raised his hands to rest them on Will’s arms, keeping him where he was. The two of them stood watching the hellhounds play with the young campers.

The son of Hades took a deep breath. “I really like you, Will.”

Nico could hear the smile in Will’s voice. “That’s good. Because I _really_ like you too.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah. Cool.”


	9. Epilogue

It was Halloween. Nico and Will joined Jason, Piper, Percy, Annabeth, and a few others in a trip to New Rome for a Halloween party. The whole place had been decorated, there was music, and trick or treating and just a general air of celebration. They’d all gone in matching costumes. Jason and Piper were Superman and Lois Lane, Percy and Annabeth were Aquaman and Wonder Woman, and Nico and Will were Captain America and the Winter Soldier.

A number of people expressed surprise that Nico had dressed as Cap and Will had gone as Brainwashed Bucky. It made more sense if they’d reversed roles, especially with Will’s blond hair. The two just shared a small smile and didn’t answer. Will had even bribed the Hephaestus cabin to make him a metal arm.

With one small change.

“So why did you put a skull on your arm instead of the red star?” Frank asked as they all trooped along the straight, orderly streets of New Rome.

Will looked down at the carefully detailed skull he’d had painted on his metal arm. It had been his idea—a surprise for his amazing boyfriend. Nico had blushed and then kissed him when he saw it.

The son of Apollo made sure Nico could hear his answer. “Because even though he didn’t know it, Bucky always wore the sign of the person he loved most in the world.

“And so do I.”

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title comes from my favorite Lord Byron poem, "She Walks in Beauty". I thought the line would make a lovely title and that dark and bright applies nicely to Nico and Will. Hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading!


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